Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Crossing borders for health: Trends on medical travel for 2013

Throughout the years, medical travel has stretched from one geographical point to another, reaching more countries from various continents. News about improvements on medical travel in a certain country grace news pages every so often, such as Poland’s health tourism market prediction indicating a probability of a 15 percent growth for 2013.

With the seemingly incessant boom of the industry, more people become open to the idea of crossing borders for health care, and more medical professionals and health institutions show interest in providing global care to patients.

Medical travel pacesetters, like Satori World Medical, Med Retreat, and Planet Hospital, brought a wide array of health care options to US patients through affiliate programs and various institutions worldwide. With the success of such global networking, more institutions traipsed the path of medical travel by acquiring certifications and accreditations like those bequeathed by the Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA), one of the bodies that provide medical travel certifications around the globe. And it won’t be different this year, as more institutions will be joining the bandwagon, notes the organization.

From enhanced precautionary measures for public safety in health care destinations to more aggressive promotional activities on medical travel, which may also include taking the topic to the big screen – with the movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) as the prime example shared by MTQUA – a lot is said to be in store for medical travel this year and in the years to come.

San Diego-based Satori World Medical arranges medical treatment for patients suffering from various conditions through its International Centers of Excellence. Its website provides a complete list of medical procedures offered by its affiliates.